The Midford Murder Case
by AlecLovesAnime
Summary: Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford has been murdered. Barred from being involved in the investigation, Ciel's hands are tied... but does the Earl really want to investigate the Lady's death? An accidental encounter with Sebastian reveals otherwise. "It's Lady Elizabeth, my lord... She's dead."
1. The News

_It's done._

_I've been home all night._

_The others were with me._

_No clues. No paper-trail. No evidence._

***Undertaker's POV***

Monday mornings were usually dull and uneventful at the mortician's shop. With Sunday having just passed, very few funerals were held on a Monday, and the deaths from the weekend were long-since tended to. So a slow day, before things evened out again, was generally expected.

Except, the Undertaker's newest client wasn't just anyone. She was a little girl with curly blond hair and emerald eyes, her mouth smiling even in death. Had this been a heart-attack, he would have sealed the casket in a heart-beat and been done with the young lady. It hadn't been, or at least that's not what was expected. Nobles didn't just drop dead, after all, and the funeral director had been instructed to find out just what had killed the young woman. There were no external injures, so he had no choice but to cut the girl open and see what he could find out…

***Ciel's POV***

It was quiet in the Phantomhive Manor as Ciel sat in his office, flipping through paperwork meticulously. He had to stay busy, had to keep himself from over-analyzing his life as of late. _Too late._

The door flew open, surprisingly without warning, and Sebastian stepped in. He had an expression that was contorted with concern and surprise, a frown on his face that didn't quite match his features. "My lord, we just received a phone-call from Scotland Yard." He shook his head slowly, as though he hadn't quite digested the information yet, "It's Lady Elizabeth… She's dead, my lord."

His heart skipped more times than he could count. Anxiety coiled into his system before he could compose himself and, just like that, he was blurting the first thing that entered his mind, "Bloody Hell." He took in a breath and tried his hardest to remain unhurried, "How… did she die?" He didn't have to ask, but he did anyways.

***Sebastian's POV***

Having found out that Lady Elizabeth was dead had been quite a shock. It hadn't bothered him entirely, being the girl was just a human and an annoyance, but it did trouble him that he couldn't seem to figure out who'd committed the murder. He had hoped to run through the possibilities and give Ciel something to work with, but… there were no leads. "Nightshade," he answered briefly, "It could have been anyone, really… Perhaps even an accident… We can't be sure, my lord."

The young master seemed to be struggling, but he didn't look anywhere near as surprised as Sebastian had been. He just looked… anxious. Perhaps this was just Ciel's way of covering his emotions; the butler couldn't be sure. "I'll have to—"

"They made it very clear that the police don't want you looking into this murder, master," Sebastian interrupted, knowing exactly what the human had been about to say, "You know the statistics… it's likely you're one of their suspects. I'd advise you to stay out of this until they've cleared your own name." He knew it wasn't entirely likely that Ciel would agree, but he could hope; the Earl's focus on this would certainly make his job harder for a while.

Ciel seemed to frown more than usual for a moment, lips pursed in what nearly looked like indecision. "Very well," he muttered at last, "See to it that they inform me when I can do my own investigation." He finally turned his eyes to look at the demon, shaking his head, "Lizzy didn't _have_ any enemies Sebastian. This had to have been about her family…"

Sebastian nodded at that, "I've already considered that, my lord. I'll look into what I can without drawing further suspicion to the Phantomhive household. Until then…" He looked over the young Earl with curiosity, wanting to ask the question but knowing it wasn't his place.

_What do you know, master? I can tell when you're keeping things from me._

Finally, the butler consented, "Until then, I'll inform the servants and put on some tea. Try not to fret, my lord, we'll find whoever did this to the Lady."


	2. Ciel, Crazy

***Sebastian's POV***

The other servants, to say the least, hadn't taken the news very well. Mei-Rin had practically burst into tears (her and Finny both) and Bard had stormed out of the Manor without a single word about it, leaving his cigarette in the ashtray. Sighing, Sebastian pout the smoking stick out before turning to council the others, attempting to calm the sobbing maid and gardener down. Eventually, he got them to leave the dining room, finding a quieter place in the Manor for them to get it out of their system.

The task of informing the servants had taken a bit longer than expected, so Sebastian was admittedly late in getting his master's tea. Brewing it as quickly as hot water and tea leaves would allow, he hurried up the stairs, slowing his pace only when he got near the Earl's office, finding the room empty. Having not realized how late it had gotten, he realized that Ciel must have already went to his bedroom; taking the tea there while it was still hot, he found the bedroom door just barely open. Peeking into the Earl's room, the butler saw something he had definitely not expected…

***Ciel's POV***

The Phantomhive Earl had kept up his composure thorough the working hours, even when he heard Mei-Rin and Finny sobbing downstairs. He'd heard the door slammed, presumably Bard leaving to calm himself, and then had stopped paying attention to them; everyone seemed very preoccupied, which left Ciel with plenty of time for his thoughts to wander.

He'd soon found himself in his bedroom, darkness curling into his gut before he could repress it all. Small, crazed laughs left his throat, shoulders shaking with the restraint it took to keep them quiet as he snickered, "I've done it. I've bloody done it! I—"

"M-master?" Sebastian's voice echoed from behind him, making Ciel freeze in his place. He let out a few more cackling chuckles, trying to hold them back with little success, then finally got a grip on himself and turned to face the butler. His azure eyes were wide with surprise as he looked at the demon, his manic grin failing off his face swiftly. The butler was reduced to stuttering in his shock, "My lord, what… what have you d—"

Ciel raised his hand, calling for silence, "Don't ask any questions about it, Sebastian. That.. little scene.. never happened." He paused, his contract-eye shining (he'd taken his eye-patch off in the security of his room) as he took another deep breath to force down the emotions. "Are we clear?" he asked after a moment, frowning at the demon.

***Sebastian's POV***

Beyond shocked that his master had shown such a display of darkness, Sebastian could only nod, choking out the words, "Yes, my lord." He set the tea down on the nightstand and shook his head, clearing it before asking, "I presume that the police won't be needing our assistance, then?" The answer seemed obvious.

"Quite right," Ciel replied lazily, turning on his heel to face the butler once again. Just like that, his blue eyes became watery, fake-pain contorting his features as he acted it out, "I'm afraid I'll be far too heart-broken to help the Yard this time." Just like that, he was taking a breath and wiping his eyes clear, visibly biting back another fit of crazed laughter. "Go entertain yourself, Sebastian," he added after a moment, waving his hand in the direction of the door.

Nodding slowly, the demon backed up towards the door. He couldn't honestly decide how he was supposed to feel about this little display. No doubt the darkness would add to his master's complicated soul, but… it wasn't adding up in the butler's mind. Just what had the Lady done to wrong Ciel? This was one detail of the master's life that Sebastian knew nothing about. Where had this murderous side of Ciel come from, not to mention the bout of madness that seemed to come with it?

Regardless, Sebastian took his leave from his master's bedroom, his voice quiet, "Yes, my lord. Call for me if.. you need anything." With that, he shut the door behind himself and walked with new caution down the hallway of the Phantomhive Manor, a thoughtful smile slowly finding its way onto his lips.

_**You never cease to surprise me, my lord…**_


End file.
